10 Healthiest And Unhealthiest Vanilla Ice Creams (Slideshow)
Turkey Hill
A favorite ice cream of Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia, this beloved and familiar brand came out on top in terms of nutritional value. While its sodium content is on the higher side of its competitors sugar, cholesterol, and calories, are all lower than the other brands.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 130 per ½ cup
Sodium: 50 milligrams
Cholesterol: 25 milligrams
Total Fat: 7 grams
Sugar: 12 grams
Blue Bunny
Comparatively, Blue bunny only narrowly escaped being the healthiest vanilla ice cream brand because of its slightly higher sugar content.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 130 per ½ cup
Sodium: 40 milligrams
Cholesterol: 25 milligrams
Total Fat: 7 grams
Sugar: 14 grams
Edy’s Dreyer’s
Creeping up in calories, Edy's/Dreyer's are only slight off the health mark. They get extra points for being the lowest in sodium on the list.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 140 per ½ cup
Sodium: 35 milligrams
Cholesterol: 25 milligrams
Total Fat: 7 grams
Sugar: 13 grams
Friendly’s
There isn't anything "Friendly" about a high amount of sodium.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 140 per ½ cup
Sodium: 40 milligrams
Cholesterol: 25 milligrams
Total Fat: 7 grams
Sugar: 13 grams
Breyer’s Ice Cream
While Breyer's claims to use all-natural ingredients, the scary amount of sodium in their carton prevents them from ranking healthier on the list.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 140 per ½ cup
Sodium: 60 milligrams
Cholesterol: 35 milligrams
Total Fat: 7 grams
Sugar: 13 grams
365 Everyday Value® Vanilla Ice Cream
Surprisingly, Whole Foods hovers in the middle of the list due to the total fat and sugar content.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 140 per ½ cup
Sodium: 40 milligrams
Cholesterol: 35 milligrams
Total Fat: 8 grams
Sugar: 14 grams
Blue Bell
Branching into a whole new caloric bracket is Blue Bell Ice Cream. With higher sugar and higher fat, it is hard to believe this isn't the worst on the list.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 180 per ½ cup
Sodium: 75 milligrams
Cholesterol: 35 milligrams
Total Fat: 8 grams
Sugar: 21 grams
Ben & Jerry’s
Though known for their wild flavors, the vanilla ice cream obviously isn't that far off from being considered decadent, either.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 250 per ½ cup
Sodium: 50 milligrams
Cholesterol: 90 milligrams
Total Fat: 16 grams
Sugar: 20 grams
Trader Joe’s French Vanilla
For a regularly healthy company, we were shocked to discover that Trader Joe's ended up being the second unhealthiest ice cream on our list.
Calories: 260 per ½ cup
Sodium 55 milligrams
Cholesterol: 110 milligrams
Total Fat: 16 grams
Sugar: 23 grams
Häagen-Dazs
And the worst contender on our list in terms of nutrition is this classic brand. With a scary amount of calories, fat, and sugar, it may be worth skipping over in the freezer aisle.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 270 per ½ cup
Sodium: 50 milligrams
Cholesterol: 85 milligrams
Total Fat: 17 grams
Sugar: 23 grams